Tonight I have thoughts about the Smallville season finale and fanfic recs!!!

( Smallville 'Vessel' 5:22 )

( Fanfic recs!! )

Holy Crap!! That was pretty much my reaction last night. Oh, and I was shaking.

It was such an intense tv night, I was only able to watch Veronica Mars and Gilmore Girls. I noticed an interesting – and unspoilery – similar theme in both episodes. Both shows’ season finales featured the motif of waking up from dreams/sleep.

( Oh yeah, spoilers gallore for Veronica Mars ‘Not Pictured’ 2:22 )

( Some very brief thought about Gilmore Girls ‘Partings’ 6:22 )


Since this post is heavy in spoilers, I thought I’d include a couple of fun things for those who don’t watch the shows or haven’t seen the episodes yet.

- Check out this hysterical vid (that I found out about from femmenerd and kittyzams): James Marsters - Pretty Fly For a White Guy. It confirmed for me that I’m more of a JM fangirl than I’d realized because I’ve seen basically every one of those clips.

- If any of you missed Stephen Colbert’s speech at the White House Correspondent’s Diner, you must see it NOW!

In between watching VM and GG, I called one of my BFFs (in a state of shock and excitement) and we had a ridiculously cracked out conversation in which we planned two different vacations to take together: 1.Travel in England & Scotland, and 2. Take a road trip through the U.S. The second idea got really insane as we started imagining all the people we’d bring with us (our plan started to sound like The Muppet Movie).

My friend also told me how she discovered these kids who’d started a fire in one of Toronto’s ravines, so she called the police. After waiting for a bit, she got worried about the fire because she knows how easily these kinds of fires can spread, so grabbed her red bucket and headed back to the ravine (there’s a stream in the ravine). She found the firefighters who were still searching for the fire, and directed them to it. Because they were in the ravine, the firefighters didn’t have their fire equipment so they asked to borrow her red bucket!!! That image totally cracks me up.

Not only were four of my television shows on last night, but I also had three of my friends over to watch Veronica Mars. At one point, my friend told us that a friend of hers had informed her that Christian Kane had bragged about being with Paris Hilton. After the shuddering, one of my friends (who reminds me of Brennan on Bones) said that she'd heard of Paris Hilton but didn't think she'd ever seen her.

Another friend responded: It’s like cockroaches, you know if you've seen one because they make you all shuddery and icked out. You've probably seen Paris Hilton and she's made you feel like that.

This is one of my favourite similes ever, Paris Hilton is like a cockroach.

( Veronica Mars ‘Plan B’ 2:17, or My happy inner fangirl )

( Bones ‘The Man with the Bone’ 1:18, Pirates!!! )

Six degrees of Joss on last night's Bones:

Rodney Rowland who plays Dane McGinnis on Bones is the very scary Liam Fitzpatrick on Veronica Mars (he was on VM last night too), was also Corbin Fries on Angel (“Conviction” 5:1).

Fredric Lehne who plays Giles Hardewicke on Bones was Ranse Burgess on Firefly (“Heart of Gold”). He also is Marshal Edward Mars on Lost.

David Wells who plays Harley Frankel on Bones was the Cheese Man on Buffy (“Restless” 4:22)!!

( Lost ‘Dave’ 2:18, It’s all about Hurley )

( The Amazing Race 9 ‘Sleep Deprivation is Really Starting to Irritate Me’ 9:6 )

( Smallville 'Void' 5:17, They taunted us with no James Marsters )

I finally caught up on my lost sleep caused by evil Daylight Savings, because I accidentally slept until 3:30pm (I was up really late, vampire hours late). Fortunately I had enough time to enjoy the beautiful spring-like day and walk to work!!

I just saw this on Citytv's CablePulse news: A man was killed in an explosion in a Toronto Tim Hortons. It happened around 1pm at the Tim Hortons on Yonge Street just north of Bloor. For those who don't know, Tim Hortons is THE Canadian coffee shop. Most coffee drinkers love Tim Hortons more than Starbucks or any other brand. I was just in one yesterday with my aunt who was getting some coffee beans to bring to my cousin who's living in India (yes, he asked her to bring him some "Timmies" even though there's lots of coffee in India). ETA: Another Tim Hortons was evacuated because of a suspicious package! The Tim Hortons that was evacuated is right near my house!!!! I actually walked by the emergency task force unit which was speeding up to the Tim Hortons, which I'd JUST passed 10 minutes earlier. Ahh! Seriously though, I suspect the second incident happened because of fears from the first incident. It's just so weird, who would want to bomb a Tim Hortons? I thought everyone loves Tim Hortons?!


Moving on to happier news, I attended my friend's professional singing debut last night. She was marvelous! It was a production of the St. Matthew Passion by J.S. Bach, and she was the soprano soloist. She looked gorgeous in a total diva dress, and sang beautifully. When she finished her first aria I realized that I was completely tense because I was so nervous for her. By her second aria I was much more relaxed because she was performing perfectly. I'm so very proud of her!!

It was a Cellar Singers production in Orilla (an hour north of Toronto), and I was able to attend because of my aunt. By total chance my aunt and I made the connection that the choir her best friend performs in, is the same one that my best friend has also performed in over the years and would be making her professional debut with. My aunt bought me the ticket for a Christmas gift and she drove us up. It was nice to see my aunt again (who I don't see that often). We did have a funny moment when she was telling me about some wallpaper she'd had in her house and she described it as "flocked". Immediately my brain thought "Her wallpaper was friend locked? Wait, that doesn't make sense!" It turns out "flocked" can also mean textured wallpaper. hee! I didn't tell her about my initial confusion.

We had some nice reminiscence about my grandma (my aunt is technically my grandma's daughter-in-law but they were very close). My aunt was observing how upset my grandma would be by Stephen Harper, particularly because of his anti-gay marriage stance. It was neat to discover that my aunt is also supportive of same-sex marriage and dislikes Stephen Harper (for many reasons). Her perspective is that all Canadians should be equal which means that everyone should be able to marry. Yay for my aunt! She was also reminding me of how she, my grandma and I marched together in the Metro Days of Action against the many troubling right wing policies of Mike Harris' Conservative government.

Besides my adventures north of the city, I've also been playing some television catch-up, so here's some brief thoughts on some shows:

( Smallville 'Hypnotic' 5:16, aka Lots & lots of James Marsters! )

( Supernatural 'Hell House' 1:17 or What would Buffy do? )

( Conviction: Why it's failing as a show. I also reference Numb3rs but there's no real spoilers for either. )

I hope everyone is having an excellent Sunday, and that the loss of an hour wasn't too disruptive.

Hello all!! It has been a stressful last couple of weeks in cordelianne-land. It’s been mostly work stress and it should be over soon. I built up enough overtime that I took the day off yesterday and I basically accomplished NOTHING (well there was some LJ & fic reading and tv watching, but no apartment cleaning or laundry done). I didn’t even get enough sleep. *shakes head at self* I think my stress level inspired Tuesday’s Angel & Wes story so at least the stress has inspired some productivity!

So to ignore the stress and focus on more HAPPY things I offer you, or things that are making me happy:

1. She’s the Man: It’s the Amanda Bynes (yes the Amanda Bynes from What a Girl Wants and the tv show What I Like About You) movie that’s a teen version of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. Bynes plays Viola, the one who disguises herself as her brother. I have a huge weakness for teen movies, and an even bigger weakness for modernizations of Shakespeare. Throw in any form of gender bending and I’m there! Seriously. I actually will be going to the theatre to see it on Saturday.

2. Veronica Mars returns to its Tuesday 9pm timeslot on April 11th: Okay I’m not sure how happy I am about this (especially since Wednesday night is the better night for my friends and I to watch the show together), but I’m trying to see this as positive because it won’t be up against Lost anymore. It’ll just be up again House and Scrubs, at least Supernatural will have already moved to Thursdays at 9pm (on March 30th.)

( A Spoilery question & thoughts about VM ‘The Quick and the Wed’ 2:15 )

Definitely good VM news: The actors who played George Michael and Maeby on Arrested Development are guest starring next week!!! VM has definitely become the place for actors from my favourite no-longer-airing shows to guest star!

3. Bones and David Boreanaz: I re-watched the yummy DB parts from last week’s fantastic episode because my friend hasn’t seen it so I had to show her!! ( Possible spoilers for Bones ‘The Woman in the Tunnel’ 1:16 )

4. In one week James Marsters returns to Smallville: He’ll be back on Thursday, March 30th at 8pm on the WB.

5. The new album, "Fox Confessor Brings the Flood" by Neko Case: It's SO good!!

I would love to have included J.August Richards being back on television but I feel like he has a less of a role on Conviction than he did during parts of Angel seasons. And on Angel he could at least kick ass. I'm still “watching” the show (ie. not really paying attention until JAR is on the screen) but I don’t recommend tuning in.

Other than my outing to see She’s the Man, I’m planning to keep my weekend void of socializing and instead I will write fic, go shopping, write fic, read fic, and catch up on tv watching. Chocolate may be involved as well.

ETA: This just cheered up and made me cry happy tears: Fandom is ...

ETA #2: More good news: Bones is renewed for a second season!!!

We actually celebrated International Women's Day at my work today (usually it's just another day). All the women were given cards with pears on them (I guess that pears symbolize womanhood?). We got to leave work for an hour, have warm beverages and PIE (I totally thought of entrenous88 when I had the pecan pie).

The first part was all very proper as we sipped our hot chocolate, ate pie and chatted - I noted that we were having the kind of celebration that L.M. Montgomery (aka author of Anne of Green Gables) would have participated in. Sadly, that comment only entertained me. However it did spark life into the group and we talked about everything from our breasts, online dating, the anti-abortion law in South Dakota, the age of consent laws in Canada, our first experiences in feminist groups and horrible IDW dances we've attended. It was actually a very fun time, and it felt like an appropriate way to mark IWD.


I haven't seen any of my tv shows since Monday because all I've been doing is working (stressful) and sleeping (because I'm still feeling ucky). But I do have tv news!

1. Season 3 of BSG won't air until October 2006. WHAT?! We'll have to wait ...*counts*...SEVEN months for the new season. Seven?! Seven months?!! Recounts. Damn, it's still seven months. You just know there's going to be a BIG cliffhanger and then the wait will be excruciating. Also, this doesn't seem like an effective way to retain viewers; peeople don't like to wait.

2. This is the last season of Charmed. I feel weirdly sad about the show ending, despite being amazed that such a crappy show has been on the air so long. Of course I'll inexplicably continue to watch it to the very end.

3. The Amazing Race and How I Met Your Mother both renewed for next season. Here's hoping that next year's The Amazing Race will NOT be the Family Edition. I adore How I Met Your Mother so I'm very happy about this. Also, yay for more Alyson Hannigan on tv!!

4. Speaking of How I Met Your Mother Amy Acker and Alexis Denisof will BOTH guest star on the season finale of the show. Alyson Hannigan, Amy Acker and Alexis Denisof all on the same show, this may top the Alyson Hannigan and Charisma Carpenter reunion on Veronica Mars!

5. James Marsters' next guest starring appearance on Smallville will be Thursday, March 30th at 8pm on the WB. That's also the night when the next new episode of Supernatural airs at its new time at 9pm on Thursday.


In honour of IDW, I leave you with this tidbit I learned from my beloved grandma who passed away in October: celery tastes amazing when it has been soaking in water. She also always used to say "let's play it by ear" which can be very useful to remember.

I'm such a dork that it made me really happy that Nicholas Brendon attended the premiere of Alyson Hannigan's new movie: Date Movie. You see, in my mind I was having silly thoughts like: "Willow and Xander are still BFFs!" Yes, I'm that geeky!!

Here's Nicholas Brendon looking all adorable! I wish there was a picture of him and Alyson Hannigan together. If you click through the pictures there are ones of her with Alexis Denisof and Joss Whedon!! It also made me happy to see that the entire cast of How I Met Your Mother attended!!


These pictures of James Marsters as Braniac on Smallville also make me very happy, because ... James Marsters!!!

I also love this exchange from the BtVS episode "Goodbye Iowa" which I quoted above:

Anya: And after everything you've been through with Angel. You really should get yourself a boring boyfriend. Like Xander. You can't have Xander!

Buffy: That was the idea. Riley was supposed to be Mr. Joe Guy. We were going to do dumb things like hold hands through the daises going tra-la-la.

Willow: Poor Buffy. Your life resists all things average.

Anya: So dump him. But you can't have Xander!

Now that I’ve had time to mull over Veronica Mars “Rashard and Wallace Go to White Castle” (2:12) I actually have lots of random thoughts on the episode!! ( Spoilers for VM 2:12 )


One of my friends has a thought-provoking and comprenshive post in her blog about Canada’s new Prime Minister, Stephen Harper: so is Stephen Harper a Theocon?. If you’re concerned about Canada’s future and want to know more about Stephen Harper, it’s a must read.


In tv-related serious news, it does sound like Everwood’s fate is uncertain according Ask Ausiello at TV Guide. I’m going to write to Dawn Ostroff, the current UPN President and future Entertainment President of the CW on Everwood’s behalf:

Dawn Ostroff
UPN
11800 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90025

Let’s hope this goes better than my letters about My So-Called Life and Angel. On second thought, maybe I shouldn’t write.


I also bring you more news about James Marsters on Smallville. Ask Ausiello reports:

”He'll [James Marsters] return in Episode 16, which will be our first episode back in April," reveals Al Gough in an interview I cribbed from my colleague, Matt Webb Mitovich. "And he will then appear in, I believe, two more episodes after that, leading up to the season finale."

It also sounds like Spike James Marsters will appear in the season finale!!

Instead of watching George W. Bush's State of the Nation address on Tuesday night, like most Americans I watched Gilmore Girls and Supernatural. (The WB was 2nd in adults 18-49 behind Fox in ratings). To be honest, I was actually at work during the State of the Nation address and only had time to watch Gilmore Girls when I got home BUT I PVRed Supernatural and will watch it when I have time during the day (because I'm wimpy and SPN scares me).

I did watch Jon Stewart - who's been sick, poor Jon Stewart - and got my favourite quote from Bush's speech:

"America is addicted to oil."


I then watched The Colbert Report and was delighted to see David Cross (aka Tobias on Arrested Development) as "Russ Lieber"!! According to Maureen Ryan on the Chicago Tribute blog, Colbert has a feud with Lieber. This makes me wish I had more time to watch The Colbert Report more frequently.

I also have some TV news of note in my world:

- The final 4 episodes of Arrested Development will air on Friday, February 10th 8pm-10pm on Fox. Yes, that is the same time as the opening ceremony of the Olympics. Yes, Fox should announced that it will be cancelling Arrested Development any day now. I'm hoping what I've read is true, and that Showtime will pick up this fabulous show!!

- This news makes me very happy: James Marsters will return to Smallville sometime in the spring in an episode called 'Hypnotic.' He will guest star in more than this one episode.

- The WB shifts its shows around: In March Everwood moves to Monday nights at 9pm (its old time slot) and Supernatural moves to Thursdays at 9pm. Now this actually makes some sense: Smallville and Supernatural are the perfect pairing. However, Everwood shouldn't be paired with 7th Heaven because ... well it seems silly to explain that 7th Heaven is a completely crappy show (everyone knows that) whereas Everwood is one of the best shows on tv.


Speaking of Everwood, I've been irrationally worrying that it will be sacrificed when the WB and UPN become The CW. TV Gal also expresses concern for Everwood's future making me feel less silly.


Hmm. Even though it's a few hours after Veronica Mars "Rashard and Wallace Go to White Castle" (2.12), I don't have much to say about it. (Don't worry no spoilers.) I enjoyed it at the time, but I've noticed that I can't think of anything to post about VM episodes recently. Maybe because my writing partner and I are working on a VM spec script, I don't have any more energy to think about the show.

I’ve decided to do something completely original and inventive to recap 2005!! ... Okay, not really. Like Entertainment Weekly, TVGal, Watch with Kristin, etc I’m compiling lists of the best – and the worst – of 2005.


Best Moments of 2005 in TV (ahem, I’m using a very loose definition of “moments”)

1. Veronica Mars’ renewal and awesome season one finale. VM has been a bright spot for me this year.

2. The media’s response to Hurricane Katrina. The heartfelt, active and horrified response of the media to this situation was a nice counterpoint to the tragedy of the event.

3. What sophomore slump? It’s great that VM, House and Grey’s Anatomy are having impressively good second seasons.

4. Bright & Hannah kiss in the Everwood season three finale. This was particularly satisfying because of how their relationship developed organically throughout the season. It’s also damn cute.

5. Buffyverse actors return to TV. James Marsters on Smallville, Charisma Carpenter on VM, Alyson Hannigan on How I Met Your Mother, David Boreanaz on Bones, Christian Kane on Close to Home and Nicholas Brendon on the sadly canceled Kitchen Confidential.

6. The news that Scrubs is returning to TV in January. It’ll be on NBC Tuesdays at 9pm and 9:30pm.

7. Lorelei tells her mother We’re over in mid-season 5, then a few episodes ago reassures her You haven’t lost me. I love the complexities of the relationships on Gilmore Girls.

8. Veronica and Logan’s first kiss on VM. Best.Kiss.Ever.

9. The reunion of Jin & Sun and Bernard & Rose on Lost. Oh man, the tears were flowing for that moment.

10. Uchenna and Joyce win the Amazing Race - you could just tell that all the other contestants were happy also, it was such an air of celebration. It was great to watch really really nice people win.


Worst Moments of 2005 in TV

1. Joan of Arcadia not renewed. I still have much bitterness towards CBS for canceling such a thought-provoking and nuanced show about spirituality.

2. Tom Cruise. Tom Cruise and Scientology. Tom Cruise and his sudden expertise in post-partum depression (despite being neither a doctor nor a medical/drug expert). Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes. Tom Cruise and couches. The list could go on and on.

3. Sophomore slumps. It’s been disappointing to see Lost and Desperate Housewives, shows that were so original and compelling in their first seasons, struggle in their second seasons.

4. Watching the government’s response to Hurricane Katrina. Or should I say, lack of response.

5. Arrested Development and Kitchen Confidential canceled. There may be a silver lining for AD because it could be picked up by Showtime!

6. Paris Hilton. To quote from Joan of Arcadia: Now, who decided I need to care about Paris Hilton?

7. The return of Fear Factor to primetime. (Thanks to my brother for this providing this item on my list!)

8. The “War on Christmas” or should I say “the talking point created by the Christian Right who are freaked out by the fact that there’s other religions and faiths than Christianity.”

9. The brilliant Everwood being put on hiatus again by The WB so a reality show can be aired.

10. The Amazing Race: Family Edition and its incredible suckiness. I’m excited about the real Race returning in February: interesting looking contestants who will actually be traveling around the world!


Best Movies in 2005

1. Brokeback Mountain. A beautiful love story that’s well-acted, beautifully shot and continues to resonate days later. A brilliant and ground-breaking movie.

2. King Kong. This is what blockbusters the movie experience should be: good story, edge of your seat action, interesting characters, good acting, homage to old movies, good use of special effects and touching scenes.

3. Serenity. This movie is clearly made with passion which creates an amazing movie: it has love, hatred, and grief as well as action, humour, excitement and creepiness on a big screen scale. Firefly lives!

4. A History of Violence. It's a deceptively simple story that examines the violence that's underneath the surface of everyone. Definitely one of the best films of the year.

5. Batman Begins. This is pretty geeky, but I loved how coherent the story is - it's very tight storytelling (I really hate the sloppy storytelling and continuity that's in a lot of movies, particularly ones with significant CGI). It’s also a kick-ass superhero movie!

6. Walk the Line. This is more than just a biopic of another musician who started off poor, became famous for an innovative sound and struggled with drug addiction because of the love story at the heart of the film. This isn't cutsie romantic comedy love story material, this is a painful, intense and hard love story that's captivating to watch.

7. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. This is a great adaptation of the book, because it retains the significant aspects of the story while moving along at a fast and engaging pace. It was so good it got a friend to read all the novels.

8. Jarhead. A compelling war film that has no action scenes (unless you count the troops watching war movies). Excellent acting, beautifully shot, thought-provoking and relevant to today’s conflict.

9. Crash. An impressive yet flawed movie, the most notable flaw is how the multiple storylines are resolved. What's great about the movie - I optimistically hope - is that it encourages dialogue around racism and self-analysis of personal racism. Content aside, the acting is excellent, the shots beautifully done, and the scenes just blend together seemingly seamlessly.

10. 40 Year Old Virgin and The Wedding Crashers. As much as I love teen movies, it’s been great to have actual adult comedies. Neither of these movies are the best movies I’ve ever seen, so I've combined them as one item because they’re both damn funny movies that don’t have to shy away from adult topics.


Best TV shows of 2005

1. Veronica Mars. This show really is "the New Buffy" - it's intelligent with excellent dialogue and a smart, independent and fun heroine who's the centre of an enthralling universe of mystery, suspense, humour, pain, drama and often a combination of more than one of the above. To quote Joss Whedon Best.Show.Ever.

2. Gilmore Girls. Although Gilmore Girls is no longer the cozy and reassuring dramedy it used to be, it has grown up and is now successfully exploring the painful issues of becoming an adult and how this changes family relationships.

3. Everwood. Whenever I watch an episode of Everwood I always declare it The Best Show on Television. It has consistently high quality episodes with complex characters and storylines.

4. Arrested Development. This is the type of show that makes me laugh so hard that milk sprays out of my nose (if – you know – I actually was silly enough to drink anything while watching AD). Definitely the edgiest and funniest show on TV.

5. Reba. This show draws from the tradition of old-fashioned family sitcoms like The Dick Van Dyke Show but also has clear influences from the more cutting-edge Roseanne. Reba deals with lots of serious issues really well – weight gain and weight loss, adultery, alcoholism, depression – however it’s not a serious drama because it succeeds is finding the humour in these difficult and painful scenarios.

6. Grey’s Anatomy. I never would have guessed last year that this show would have made my list. It’s gone from being good soapy fun to a show with increasingly well-written episodes and smart/interesting story decisions (ie. Having Dr. McDreamy’s estranged wife stay and be a likeable character).

7. My Name is Earl. It's definitely one of my new favourite shows. It has a great premise (Earl discovering the concept of Karma and now trying to make amends for all the bad things he's done) that has resulted in interesting and funny episodes (eg. trying to make up for faking his own death to break-up with a girl, or kidnapping a woman to help her quit smoking).

8. Doctor Who. For some reason I didn't expect the show to have such a fabulous combination of fun, heart-wrenching drama, suspense, and interesting stories. It’s so hard waiting a whole year for the new season. I’m very excited about the special The Christmas Invasion airing on Boxing Day at 8pm to 9:30pm on CBC.

9. Entourage. Overall I love this show because it has heart - it really feels like these 4 guys are good friends. They may tease each other but they ultimately look out for each other. Also, how can I not love a show that has Jeremy Piven’s deliciously sleazy agent say Hug it out, bitch?

10. How I Met Your Mother. One of the reasons I’ve declared that there’s a “Sitcom Renaissance”. Definitely my favourite new sitcom this season (ie. half-hour comedy with a laugh track). It has sustained its funny from the pilot and it does over-the-top really well. It’s also has excellent writing and a very good cast.

11. Everybody Hates Chris. A very funny and smart new approach to the family sitcom (ie. no laugh track). Race issues and racism are explored in an intelligent and humourous way thanks to Chris Rock’s excellent narration.

I’m very impressed that I contained myself to ten items for each category, except for the Best TV shows and I’m very pleased that I only exceeded by one item! I’m now excited to compare my lists with Entertainment Weekly’s (I purposefully didn’t look at it before created my lists)!!


Right now I’m at my parent’s place in Kingston having a relaxing Christmas Eve! I slept in until 1pm!! We decorated the house and tree last night so it’s all festive, and there’s a tray of yummy treats to snack on. My mom sings in a United church choir so we’ll be attending a Family service and then the midnight service tonight. Right now I plan to do a little more livejournal reading and work more on my screenplay. I LOVE that I brought my laptop with me, and that my brother has set up the house for wireless internet!!! Yay to my younger and very technologically capable brother!!

Happy Holidays everyone!!

I think that the shortened hours of daylight are getting to me because I have my usual November blahs. I just don't feel like my usual chipper self. So to remind myself of the good things in life, I've made a list of everything that is making me happy right now:

1. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

I saw the movie on opening night with some friends and had a super fun time!! It's a great adaptation of the book because it retains the significant aspects of the story while moving along at a fast and engaging pace. As well as exciting and scary sequences, there's also some really funny awkward puberty and dating stuff which made me laugh and laugh. Lots and lots of fun! I'm hoping to see it again very soon!

( Spoilery comment )

2. Veronica Mars

I'm still loving Veronica Mars!! Although last week's episode was disturbing, it was still an excellent hour of television. The great thing about that show is that I'm excited for each new episode regardless of who's guest starring - excellent guest stars are a bonus.

( Spoilers for VM 2:6 & 2:7, casting spoilers for 2:9 )


3. Buffy night with friends

A few friends and I are going to get together to watch our favourite fun Buffy episodes. This is definitely something that's making me very happy right now. We're all suggesting 5 episodes and we'll pick the most popular ones, here's my choices:

"Something Blue" (4:9) - This is just wacky fun. It's entertaining to watch Buffy and Spike be so mushy, especially because when they actually do get together they're never like this.

"The Replacement" (5:3) - I love Xander so much in this episode, its so awesome to watch him realize that he's growing up. There's also lots of fun and silliness: the Snoopy dance, "It's a robot. It's an evil robot constructed from evil parts", "She entirely wants to have sex with us together. Which is ... *wrong*, and, and it would be very confusing," "Kill us both Spock", and "Yes, he's clearly a bad influence on himself."

"Life Serial" (6:5) - This is a geektastic episode in which the Geek Trio are very very funny ("To Final Jeopardy. ...Where Buffy's the one in jeopardy." and "Timothy Dalton should get an Oscar and beat Sean Connery over the head with it!"). I also enjoy Buffy in this one - she's very funny in the time loop sequence and when she's drunk. As well, this episode has Kitten Poker!!!

"Selfless" (7:5) - Sure there's some sad stuff in this episode but the fabulousness of the Anya flashbacks balance that out. This also has one of my all-time favourite Buffy quotes: "Oh, breathtaking. It's like somebody slaughtered an Abercrombie and Fitch catalog."

"Storyteller" (7:16) - "Join me on a new voyage of the mind. A little tale I like to call: Buffy, Slayer of the Vampyrs." sigh, I find Andrew so entertaining! I love all of Andrew's different versions on events and of course, another favourite quote: "In my plan, we are beltless."

I also wanted to include "Fool for Love" and "Intervention" on the list but wanted to actually keep my list to 5. I didn't include "Once More with Feeling," "Hush," "Halloween" and "Dopplegangland" because I've watched those episodes multiple times with friends already, I was trying for some episodes we don't always watch.

4. Doctor Who

I'm very excited about the Christmas special ("The Christmas Invasion")! I just checked online and it looks like CBC will be airing it on Boxing Day (December 26th). Also there's a special mini adventure online (written by Russell T. Davies and starring David Tennant and Billie Piper) which picks up exactly where the season finale ended. It reminded me of how much I love the new Doctor Who!!!

5. My Name is Earl

I'm just adoring this show! It's definitely one of my new favourite shows. It has a great premise (Earl discovering the concept of Karma and now trying to make amends for all the bad things he's done) that has resulted in interesting and funny episodes (eg. trying to make up for faking his own death to break-up with a girl, or kidnapping a woman to help her quit smoking).

I love all the characters (especially Randy!) and their relationships which aren't the types of relationships normally portrayed on tv (ie. Earl and his ex-wife's husband get along really well). It's definitely my #1 pick for viewing on Tuesdays at 9pm (it even beats the enjoyable and excellent House).

6. James Marsters on Smallville

I'm really enjoying getting to see James Marsters on tv again. Even though Smallville isn't the best written show, James Marsters always makes the most of his scenes. I'm looking forward to seeing him on more episodes in the new year.

7. How I Met Your Mother

Definitely my favourite new sitcom. It has sustained its funny from the pilot and it does over-the-top really well. I love the episode in which Lilly and Marshall discover a "cockamouse" (a cross between a cockroach and a mouse) in their apartment. Last week's episode was really awesome because it had a duel - with swords - between Ted and Marshall over who would get their apartment! The best part? That the guys kept stopping their arguing to comment on how cool it was that they were dueling.

8. The WB

So my favourite network right now. They have some of the best shows on tv: Gilmore Girls, Everwood and Reba. I also get to enjoy mindless fun viewing with Charmed, Related and Smallville. Also, there is still the possibility that the WB will air the Spike tv movie (it's sounding promising that it'll be made but there's been no official announcements yet).

9. Brokeback Mountain

I'm counting down the days till this movie premieres - 18 days (December 9th)!!! This is definitely my personal most anticipated movie of the year. It has so many things I love: Ang Lee (one of my favourite directors), cowboys, gay cowboys, angst and more angst, longing and repression, and pretty scenery.


Considering how blah I'm feeling, I'm impressed that I have such a comprehensive list of things that make me happy! I'm glad I have so much fun stuff to look forward to because it certainly helps on days like today when it's dark all day (because it's cloudy). Do you think it's too early to start counting down till Spring?

My television can still surprise me. Now I'm not talking about shocking twists and surprise endings, because these devices rarely surprise me anymore (not that I don't enjoy a good twist). It's mostly random things that are catching me off guard right now.

Here's what's actually surprising me:

1. Lost isn't dead. I wasn't loving the 1st couple of episodes so it wasn't until Wednesday that I watched "Everybody Hates Hugo" and "...And Found". They may not have provided big answers, and there was still a music montage ending, but both episodes were good tv.

I enjoyed the glimpse into Hurley's slacker past. And of course, I loved the Sun and Jin meeting - so adorable! I also liked the fleeting glimpse of who I'm assuming are the Others.

2. There's a good chance of romance for Reba this year! I didn't expect to be so excited by the minister telling Barbara Jean that he likes Reba.

Also, bonus surprise points for casting Patrick Fabian as Reverend Parks because he's sexy, nice and interesting on Reba whereas he was jerky and mean on Joan of Arcadia as Gavin Price (the vice-principal).

3. The Amazing Race: Family Edition sucks. I figured it wouldn't be as good as previous seasons and was disappointed about the lack of diversity but I never expected it to be this bad and boring.

Having the teams go to a giant office chair and a gas station for clues seems more like a scavenger hunt organized by dorky parents instead of the Amazing Race. Oh yeah, and why are they STILL in the U.S.?!!

4. I'm laughing at sitcoms (note the plural use of the word sitcom!), instead of being confused when I hear a laugh track. Both How I Met Your Mother and Out of Practice consistently make me laugh out loud.

Neil Patrick Harris is always fabulously sleazy, Alyson Hannigan is cute and Jason Segel is very entertaining (especially the scene of him dancing). Out of Practice also has an excellent cast. Wait, you mean actors need to be able to deliver their lines, not just look pretty?!!

5. There's a lesbian on tv who looks like a real lesbian, and not a super femme straight woman. Obviously there are lots of femmy queer women but there's also lots of dykes who dress like Paula Marshall's character (Regina) on Out of Practice: funky jeans, a t-shirt with fun patterns layered over a long sleeved top. Very cute!

6. Smallville had a good pop culture reference!

Aquaman: “I don’t travel with an entourage.”

This is a reference to Entourage because on the show Vince is cast as Aquaman.

Of course, there's still stuff that doesn't surprise me:

1. Veronica Mars rocks! It's definitely my favourite show. I really enjoyed the last 2 episodes especially Charisma Carpenter's character's annoyance with Veronica (the hand gesture is excellent) and Logan's "Veronica Mars has accused me of evil.[Logan twirls an imaginary moustache.]" hee hee

2. Everwood continues to kick ass (not literally though). My heart ached when Ephram was tempted by the piano (I love that temptation comes in the form of a piano on this show). Everwood also delights me with excellent scenes containing unexpected pairings, eg. Hannah and Jake. Also I love weirdly obsessive Harold!

To the show runner: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for Rose’s cancer being gone!!!

3. Gilmore Girls has entertaining episodes - Sores and Boils Alley! - even when not much happens. One of the things that Gilmore Girls has excelled at it making small issues into good and fun tv.

4. James Marsters is an excellent actor. With much enjoyment I re-watched all of his scenes on Smallville. He just pours his whole self into a character, and it pays off. I don't like Milton Fine as much as Spike, but I'm very interested in the character and excited to see what his real plans for Clark are.

Also, the promo for next week's episode of Smallville has James Marsters say: "Clark, there's no such thing as vampires." ha!

5. I still love Buffy the Vampire Slayer!! I just saw parts of "The Replacement" and it made me so happy. I love how slobby!Xander and Anya hide behind suave!Xander when Toth attacks. Also, these lines always make me laugh:

Both Xanders: "Kill us both Spock."
Giles: "Yes, he's clearly a bad influence on himself." (I suspect that could also frequently apply to me!)

Here's some of my favourite quotes from tv recently:

Bright: “You’re like a social black hole. All light goes into you and dies.”
Ephram: “First of all, it’s not certain whether light is conscious so it can’t die ….” (Everwood 4:3) Love the geekiness!

Gary: “I hate her.”
Vince: “Then you may be sending mixed signals by making out with her.” (What I Like About You 4:4)

Lorelei: “Of course, the Norma Rae reference was only in my head and everyone was very confused.”
Michel: “Yes, it happens a lot with you.” (Gilmore 6:6) Sigh, I can totally relate to Lorelei.


Oh, good news, it looks like Alyson Hannigan will guest star in a November episode of VM (Charisma Carpenter will also guest star)!!

I'm very excited by the large amount of Buffy/Angel alumni on my television screen these days. As cool as it is to see my beloved crew of Serenity on the big screen, it's even better to see my favourite actors in new episodes each week!

Here's who's on what:

Alyson Hannigan - How I Met Your Mother (CBS Mondays 8:30pm)

I've only seen the pilot and really enjoyed the show (although it is a sitcom - which I enjoy - so you may want to avoid it if sitcoms aren't your thing). I have the rest of the episodes on my PVR and am looking forward to watching them! How I Met Your Mother has been picked up for the full season, so good news on that front!

Also I hear that Alyson will be returning to guest star as Trina Echolls on Veronica Mars in February!! I've even heard talk that the brilliant Rob Thomas (the mastermind behind VM) is working to ensure that Alyson and Charisma Carpenter will share a scene together. How can I not love Rob Thomas when he has the best show on television and still has the time to make Buffyverse fans happy?!! Speaking of Charisma....

Charisma Carpenter - Veronica Mars (UPN Wednesdays 9pm)

I was excited that Charisma would be playing a rich trophy wife as Kendall Casablancas, the perfect role for her, and I have not been disappointed. It's great to see her sizzling up the screen as a sexy, self-assured, confident and bitchy woman again. She looks beautiful, especially with the longer hair, thank god she no longer has that awkward short cut from seasons 2-4 of Angel. She's also still good with the funny, as evidenced by her exchange with Veronica at the gym in last week's episode. She's already been in the first 3 episodes and will be in at least 6 more.

James Marster - Smallville (WB Thursdays 8pm)

I'm so excited about James Marsters' first significant guest spot on Smallville (he just had a brief yet tantalizing cameo in the season premiere), that I'm up-to-date on the show!! I've read that he'll be guest starring in at least 10 episodes. In an interview that I read, James Marsters commented that he wanted this role because his character (Professor Milton Fine/Brainiac) is very different to Spike: he smiles a lot and is smart (not that Spike was stupid, he's just not known for his smartness). I like that James Marsters wants to play someone that smiles a lot, that makes me very happy.

This Thursday, October 20th is the the episode that we're introduced to his character (oh yeah, and Aquaman)! I can't believe I'm this excited about a Smallville episode, I mean I can believe I'm excited about James, it's being excited about the show that's weird.

David Boreanaz - Bones (Fox Tuesdays 8pm)

It's so much fun to get to see David Boreanaz not brood and have some fun (even though he's investigating murders). I still get weirded out seeing him in the sun. I admit that I was disappointed when David didn't do a comedy - because I think he's excellent at comedy - but I really enjoy him as Booth.

I was pleased that Bones is picked up for the full season! The next new episode will air November 1st when baseball is over.

Amy Acker - Alias (ABC Thursdays 8pm, CTV Sundays 4pm)

I'd heard that Amy Acker would be on Alias last week as Kelly Peyton, so I excitedly checked out the episode to see if I'd heard correctly. I instantly recognized her voice when she infiltrated the place where they were doing stuff with dangerous weapons (sorry, I didn't pay that much attention to those details). It's great to see her again, and in a different role than the adorable Fred or the awesomely cool (I mean scary) Illyria. She did an excellent job at seeming nice and being Rachel Gibson's friend, and then being all evil and willing to kill Rachel.

There's this great article about Amy guest starring on Alias that says she's scheduled for 7 to 9 episodes! I got all giddy at this news because Amy rocks!

Nicholas Brendon - Kitchen Confidential (Fox Mondays 8:30pm)

I wish that someone would ask me to participate in the ratings system. If I did I'd be able to actually try and keep lots of cool shows on the air (My So-Called Life, Life as We Know It, Freaks and Geeks, Angel, Miss Match, Joan of Arcadia). So, anyone who actually affects the ratings: please, please, please watch Kitchen Confidential when it returns in November!!!

I find Nicholas Brendon so adorable and, sure, I don't think the role of Seth is exactly suited for him but he'll likely make the role his own given time. I'm willing to give Nicholas Brendon and Kitchen Confidential a chance because it's a fun and interesting show, so I hope that Fox and the viewers do too.

Christian Kane - Close to Home (CBS Tuesdays 10pm)

I've only the seen one episode, but I'll keep watching it just to see Christian Kane (Lindsey from Angel)!! Speaking of evil Wolfram and Hart lawyers....

Daniel Dae Kim - Lost (ABC Wednesdays 9pm)

I adore the fabulous Daniel Dae Kim (Gavin from Angel) as the very interesting Jin - I'm glad he's alive! - on Lost.

Anthony Stewart Head - Doctor Who (upcoming)

I've heard that Giles, cough, I mean Anthony Stewart Head will guest star in an episode of the 2nd season of my beloved and much missed Doctor Who!! Something to look forward to in the future.

Some of the Buffyverse actors - Sarah Michelle Gellar, Michelle Trachtenberg, Seth Green and Marc Blucus - are developing successful movie careers, so they're no longer interested in television. Just to clarify, by movie success I mean that these actors are getting film roles, sometimes the lead, and are making money from it - I'm not actually commenting on the questionable quality of many of the movies (First Daughter anyone?). Anyway, I decided to make a Wish List of the actors I'd like to see again on television and the shows I wish they'd guest star on:

Amber Benson on Everwood. Her earthiness is the perfect fit for the show, and she'd be great as a sweet and wise friend for Amy.

Emma Caulfield on Veronica Mars. I know I get a lot of Buffyverse actors on VM already, even Joss Whedon himself, but I think that she'd bring a great humour and toughness that'll work on the show. I'd love to see her as an employee at the police station who helps Veronica out because she also hates Sheriff Lamb.

Tom Lenk on Gilmore Girls or maybe Smallville. Tom Lenk would be the ideal quirky addition to the already quirk-filled Stars Hollow on GG. Perhaps he could be Miss Patty's new assistant? My suggestion of Smallville is basically for the fun of a reunion with him and James Marsters (it would be great if he got to hug James again), but it would also be amusing because Tom's played a geek wanting to around superheros and then he'd get to be on a show about a superhero.

Alexis Denisof on Arrested Development. I loved bumbling and dorky Wesley, and so did Alexis, so I just know he'll want to play that kind of role on Arrested Development. Perhaps he could be Bob Loblaw's clumsy assistant?

J.August Richards on Grey's Anatomy. I loved suave Gunn in that season 4 episode "Players" so I want to see J. August Richards in a romantic role. It would be fun to watch him to be all suave and sexy, confusing the romantic triangle of Meredith, Dr. McDreamy and Dr. McDreamy's estranged wife by becoming a love interest for Meredith.

Andy Hallett on Bones. He could be an old friend of Booth (David Boreanaz's character), so we could enjoy the fun dynamic between Andy and David again. For old times sake, he could facilitate Booth's romance with Brennan, although let's not have someone float up to heaven all glowy again (I'm not that nostalgic).

Mercedes McNab on Reba. I think that Mercedes is really funny so I want to see her on a comedy. She would be the perfect younger cousin/sister of Barbara Jean who comes to stay with Barbara Jean and Brock for a while.

Despite my wish list, I'm pretty happy about getting to see so many of my favourite tv actors on my television again! Of course what would make me the happiest is if there'd be official news confirming that the tv movie about Spike is getting made (I just hear unconfirmed positive rumours), that would make my year!!!